English 11 – Structure
Name:
Read silently.
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Consider when to pause, why,
what words to stress and why.
Consider the effect on the
audience.
Consider how white space
affects the poem.
Consider how line breaks affect
the poem's sound, pace, and
theme.
We Real Cool
By Gwendolyn Brooks
THE POOL PLAYERS.
SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL.
We real cool. We
left school. We
lurk late. We
strike straight. We
sing sin. We
thin gin. We
jazz June. We
die soon.
How does a change in STRUCTURE change the poem?
We real cool. We left school. We lurk late. We strike straight. We sing sin. We thin gin.
We jazz June. We die soon.

How does the sound of the poem change?

How do the pace and rhythm of the poem change?

How does the tone of the poem change?
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Are any elements of the poem lost when the lines are presented in "natural" sounding
sentences?
How does a change
in STRUCTURE
change the poem?

How does the sound of the poem change?

How do the pace and rhythm of the poem change?
We real cool.
We left school.
We lurk late.
We strike straight.
We sing sin.
We thin gin.
We jazz June.
We die soon.

How does the tone of the poem change?
Your Turn: Write your own “We Real Cool” poem.
you and your friends think about you?
What do you think people who see